This as an intensified and enriched version of the famous original Encre Noir and adds a extra layer of depth and seductive intrigue to the rich woody formula which and gained so much acclaim from fragrance aficionados.

The presence of Orris provides a powdery characteristic, finishing off with sandalwood and patchouli.

An absolutely wonderful Cypress, a light breeze of Bergamot, then some more Vetiver and the sandalwood/patchouli remnants on the skin at the end. Like most vetivers, Encre Noire has great longevity and presence, but unlike rich flowers or gourmand ambers, it’s not distracting. I think if this were three or five times its current strength, and those notes felt more rich, natural, and multi-dimensional, I might quite like Encre Noire. And even the next day, my clothes still emit the soft musky scent of it enough for others to notice.

Sweet but not too sweet, orchid, forest flowers — these are all the things that came to mind for them. This doesn’t smell as intensely and uncannily like a cashmere sweater as Penhaligon’s Ruthless Countess Dorothea — not even close — but there’s an almost-wooly gray softness here that makes for quite a comforting base. The playful shimmer of the top notes is an instant draw, but equally alluring is the drydown of musky wood shavings and smoked twigs. First sniff this reminded me of bently for men intense, but smelling them side by side, while in the very broad ballpark of scent family, they smell entirely different and my scent memory was deceiving me.

There is so much to say on all of these vetivers that trying to get all of the info into a single review would mean writing a novel. It smells like a mixture of pencil shavings, incense, and a smoky mysterious forest at night with a slight boozy opening.